Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-04-02
By WILLIAM T. HORNADAY.
Author OF 1.-TWO Years In the Jungle"
Copyright 1887. All rights reserved.)

i
skeletons Of the four already killed. and this was
no" IL happened:
IL had taken US the whole Of the day following
our first "kil to get over to the Buffalo Buttes as
we afterward named them, and skin one bunalo.
We camped In the coulie where we found the
water, and early the next morning started Out
With the empty wagon to visit the three re-
manning buffalo, skin them and haul In their
hides. Russell rode TO high butte. mile away
from our course, to take a look, and Jim McNaney
rode on south on hunt While the rest OF US
were working like beavers to dig crossing for the
wagon at a very deep coulie, Russell came gall0p-
Ing down TO US shouting,
stake out that brown horse! There are four
more buffalo down yonder!D
We dropped our tools, unhitched both horses,
and Snatched the harness on their backs I'm just
about two minutes. They were both capital horses
m eye. Russell was 50 eager to kill buffalo that
i gave him old Browne in place OF the Digger he
was then riding Feeling sure that my buffalo
bull would spoil unless staid by to keep him from
=, gave Brown my roam horse, saddle and rife,
that ne might have go at the buffalo: The
seventh man OF our party, Private West, who was
On furlough, and had elected to remain with us,
took the Digger, barebacked, and joined the chase.
They overlook four buffalo in the bad grounds
north OF Inc, across Taylor Creek but owing to the
bad behavior OF BOyds horse, which was very
high spirited, they did not get q single good shot
from the ground. At the first alarm away went
the buffalo, with all hands hard after them. Rus
sell soon overlook the bunch, wounded q COW,
enough to Kill her. OF the Others, two were fine
old bulls, and one was a friSky yearling Boyd
wounded one OF the bulls, which left the others,
headed west and settled down for long run, with
the cowpuncher in hot pursuit.
Russell gave chase to the other bull, which the
can ran with for long distance, and followed him
under whip and spur while he described an immense
5emt-cfrcle OF about i've miles. The hunt swung
around me as II were pivot, part going one way
ana part the other. heard every OF the shots,
and even saw part OF the chase, but was power.
less 10 join IL Even II pursuit is not better than
possession it certainly is more exciting. On each
OF the three different times when the rifles began
the peculiar mufied SAN Of each Shot was wait
that big bull skin With the impatience Of a hound
chained In sight OF a fox-chase. 1t was dreadfully
tantaliIing, and no one else win ever know what
s0uered that day. All i could do was to count
the shots and say every now and then, $50 to EN-
boys,-great guns. wish was there!"
Russell finally overhauled his bull away on to
the southeast, rode close alongside him as he ran
and emptied his SiX-ShOOJer into the top OF his
loinS He died Meanwhile the calf got away
nom Russell only TO run foul of Jim, two miles
farther south. Jim saw him coming, and when he
had fairly arrived sent ball through his lungs
which promptly ended his career.
BOydS bull led him a weary chase He ran about
three miles west, crossed Taylor Creek and ran
three miles south, then bore OF southeast, and ran
about eight miles more. Then Boyd and Jim came
together, and by very clever maneuver got with
tn range OF the bury old bison fired together and
killed him. As 1t was then late in the afternoon.
and they were six miles from camp, they neatly
dioembOweled the buffalo. ripped the skin of the
legs 10 facilitate the flnal act on the morrow, and
returned 10 camp. Before the day ended the rest
OF us had skinned all the dead buffalo except Rus
sells COW, Boyd's bull, and the yearling cali They
were so far of We could not get at them, nor had
we time to haul in any OF the hides IL would be a
hard matter for eight buffalo TO be more effectu-
s.H scattered or In worse ground. than those
Killed up 10 that time. But II we had even dreamed
or what was going TO happen that night there
would have been mounting and riding after worse
game than buffalo.
That night the whole camp was Jubilant We
had found buffalo at last, and every hunter had
blood on his wh1skers- We had bagged eight buff
falo out or fourteen. and In less than month had
nearly half completed our allotted task We
chopped up sage brush built rousing fire down In
the bottom OF the coulie, cooked and Toasted on
sayory hump de buffalo. ter derIoin a Ia cow
puncher, canned corn, Dutch oven bread and
coffee The man with weak appetite was not
and told each other all manner OF hes about our
adventures until our beds in dry grass fairly
yaWned for US. The weather was simply glOri-
Gus, and our slumbers were not loud but deep
The next morning It was planned that Russell
anoui1 noe PACK TO our camp on Calf Creek for a
PACK Load OF salt, oats, and grub; Boyd and Brown
were 70 skin the COW In the bad grounds while
West and should take the wagon, and with Jim
Tor pilot go tothe cali and big bull, skin both and
TWAS a long and tedious drive Toget around
great series OF impossible cOulies that lay in our
way, anu md practicable route along the divide
We had 70 drive three or four miles away from our
0e1anataon before We could even start towards 1t.
fortunately the ground was good. There was no
nge-brush to pull through and the surface of the
Hgh-rolling upland was as smooth and hard as
meadow. Indeed, IL was vast, closely shaven,
natural meadow OF buffalo grass, as fine as can be
found In all Montana
Jim Jrotted ahead to ind practicable route for
the wagon, and whenever the surface permitted
ratified along at a lively rate to accomplish our
task and get back TO camp before dark. We passed
half dozen herds OF antelope, containing seventy
or eight head all told the greatest number we saw
In one day during the whole trip. We could have
easily killed two three, resolutely resisted
all temptations, and did not IRE single shot
Excepting one or two coyotes that got up and
sneehngly trotted OF out OF sight, we saw no
other living creatures.
In spite OF orisk driving and no stops It was two
O'Clock In the afternoon when We reached the
yearang calf but in less than half an hour it was
measured, skinned, CHARTERED and landed in the
wagon Without losing moment we then act ont
Dor the big bull which was still three or four miles
farther on. Boyd had declared that by the fairest
kind OF hand measurement that buffalo was six
feet high at the shoulders, a perfect monster in
size every way considered. He had dilated upOn
t shs mai nns, NV ana Peage Of That
the highest pitch, and said TO the boys snow II
that bull really is the largest when he comes un-
der the tape line he is the one we Will mount for the
museum" Since he was in all likelihood the
largest one in the lot / was sorry that / had not
been the one 10 XII him. But no NATTER it was all
In the family.
As we neared our prize the country grew more
rough and the buttes all looked 80 much alike
rs a little out OF our way. We wound In and out
I'D and dow a. across coUIieS and around butteS for
long time until at last We saw Jim pull up and
-He's found IL, " said West 'Tts down I'm the
bed OF this coulie." But We could not see 1t yet
The next moment be jumped on his horse, cried
out:
Great heore.ss ferlers, Just come here and see
uhIfs been d0qaer' and ran down the bank
dropped the lines, sprang out of the wagon and
ran after him single glance was enough Down
In the bottom OF the eOulie lay what was left OF
the great bison The skin was gone the legs were
gone, and the bones OF the huge carcass had been
picked Clean There was hardly pound OF good
meat lett on the whole skeleton. The leg bones
had been broken up by human COYOTES for the
marrow they contained, and the fragments Law
scattered all about The head had been len nm
skinned but the tongue had been hastily cnt ONT
A generous strip or bright red flannel WAS tied
around the base OF The glossy black horn that was
uppermOSt. one side OF the head had been nainted
red, by SIneaT1ng the color On the hair and on
turning IL over We found the other side had heen
painted yellow. Close 10 the Carcass was a match
OF bare sand, and on It's tell-tale surface we sa
the tracks OF many mOccaSins.
"Thats Indians work" cried jim with mighty
swear word.
1t certaily was, for fact
"FellerS that's fresh war paint and If means
business. Look out blanked sharp now for rbern
devils amt fur from here right nD1cr'
He strobe up TO his horse, yanked his WfncheSfer
out or its scabbard, and giared angrily al the
buttes all about us
keep your guns right along with you We donI
want them Ornery cusseS 10 get the drop ON M
and fer don't want 10 be shot until Eve killed
some Indians, blank dash their thieviny souls
IL was exaSperating beyond description To
work so hard 10 ind buffalo, TO Kill such fine ONE
After a fourJeen-mile chase over bad ground To
dress the caIcas5-no light matter, let me assure
you-and drive such a weary distance to it with a
wagon only 10 ind the skin stolen and the skele
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